The DOE has announced plans to provide $30 million for new research that uses modern data science approaches to accelerate discovery in energy-related chemistry and materials sciences. National laboratories, universities, nonprofits, and companies will be eligible to apply for the three-year awards, which will be selected via peer review. The Basic Energy Sciences program in… Read more »
Industrial EV battery provider Voltabox has received a major order for trolleybus battery systems from electrical systems provider Kiepe Electric. Voltabox will provide 80 modular battery systems and the corresponding air conditioning systems. The batteries will equip trolleybuses in four cities in Italy and Switzerland. Delivery will begin in the middle of this year and… Read more »
Bosch has acquired electric motor manufacturer EM-motive from Daimler. Since Bosch and Daimler set up EM-motive as a fifty-fifty joint venture in 2011, the company has manufactured some 450,000 electric motors. “For Bosch, the complete acquisition of EM-motive is the next logical step on the path to becoming the market leader for electromobility,” said Stefan Hartung,… Read more »
Researchers at Oregon State University have shown that a chemical mechanism known as proton-hopping may provide a new method of energy storage for EVs and other high-power applications. “Coming up with Faradaic electrodes that afford batteries energy density and capacitors power with excellent cycle life has been a big challenge. So far, most of the… Read more »
Nikola Motor Company, which has been developing fuel cell trucks, recently announced that it also intends to offer some battery-electric models. The Nikola Two and Nikola Tre (European version) will be available in BEV versions, while the biggest truck in the lineup, Nikola One, will remain FCV only. The company plans to present the new… Read more »
Wireless charging pioneer WiTricity announced the acquisition of Qualcomm’s Halo wireless technology platform. The acquisition will bring over 1,500 patents and patent applications related to wireless charging under WiTricity’s control, while Qualcomm Incorporated will become a minority WiTricity shareholder. Qualcomm and WiTricity have been working collaboratively with global standards organizations, which currently use reference designs… Read more »
Fuel retailer Propel Fuels has announced plans to launch an EV charging network in California. Propel calls the charging network Propel Power, and plans to begin testing it by the end of 2019, with the aim of performing a broader rollout in 2020. Propel Power will complement Propel Fuels’ existing fueling stations, which Propel will… Read more »
Amazon will lead a $700-million investment round in EV startup Rivian Automotive. Also investing in this round is Rivian’s long-term investment partner, Saudi auto distributor Abdul Latif Jameel. Although it was reported earlier that GM was also in talks with Rivian, the automaker is not involved in this round. Rivian has been raising eyebrows since… Read more »
Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology have developed a new method for cooling electric motors, which could help reduce the weight of EVs. With the new cooling method, motors can be housed in lighter-weight polymer materials, and they also benefit from increased efficiency and power density. The… Read more »
Automotive provider Motiv Power Systems has delivered the first of seven electric step vans to the US Postal Service. The Ford E-450-based vans will serve a year-long pilot program in California’s Central Valley. The first vehicle will serve routes in Fresno, and the rest with be deployed in both Fresno and Stockton. The step vans… Read more »
